Jobs at Ginkgo Bioworks

Patrick Boyle just sent me this unusual job advertisement from Ginkgo Bioworks, a local synthetic biology company.

(Tom Knight, who’s featured in the video, really was instrumental in building ARPANET, the precursor to the modern internet. Credits for the video: Patrick Boyle and Christina Agapakis of Hydrocalypse and Oscillator)

Clearly Ginkgo harks back to the grand old days of engineering; and they clearly aren’t interested in hiring anyone who doesn’t have a sense of humor. They really are hiring, though: that part’s not a joke. Here’s the preamble on their Careers page, which lists several internships and a position for a Senior Biological Engineeer (yes, four e’s in Engineeer. Significant, I’m sure.):

Biology is the most powerful technology we have. Food, energy, chemicals, materials, medicine will all be revolutionized by biological engineering. However, engineering biology isn’t easy. It is frustratingly, painfully difficult. It is –

programming without a debugger

manufacturing without CAD

construction without diggers

At Ginkgo we are building a team that can build debuggers, write CAD, and drive diggers. We are looking for the *best* engineers, scientists, and hackers. You don’t need to be a biologist; we can teach you biology. You do need to be a fast learner, passionate, brilliant, and tenacious.